Two New York men arrested in Matamoras in May for heroin sales have been sentenced to state prison, according to Pike County District Attorney Raymond Tonkin.

On May 23, Matthew Howell, 32, of Port Jervis, agreed with Tyrone Hill, 24, of Goshen, that they would deliver heroin to a confidential informant and undercover police officer for $400.

After the sale, police moved in to arrest both men. Hill was taken into custody immediately.

Howell ignored officer's commands to stop and fled down an embankment into the Delaware River.

Howell, who was eventually found on an island in the middle of the river, was apprehended after a two-hour search by the Pike County Drug Task Force and Port Jervis Police Department with help from the Westfall Fire Department, Port Jervis Fire Department, Orange County Sheriff's K9 Unit and Eastern Pike Regional Police.

Judge Joseph Kameen sentenced Howell to state prison for 6 to 12 years and Hill to 18 months to six years on drug-related charges.